I see some farmers still adhere to the principle that genetically modified plants and animals are somehow evil. In a recent letter to the editor that appeared in this paper, one writer referred to the mixing of genetically modified flax with other varieties as, and I quote, “contamination.”

Why does our society show such little respect for the scientists and biologists who work hard at developing better food and plants for our overcrowded planet?

The people who are instilling fear against genetic engineering are the same people who have instilled into us the fear of global warming, nuclear power, the H1N1 immunization serum and a host of other scientific achievements.

(They are) mostly people who are quick to discount anything they don’t understand, instead of researching the topic and discovering how it all works.

To understand genetics, one only has to look at a wild sunflower that grows along the edges of grid roads and compare it with a domestic variety, some that grow in excess of 12 feet high. Take a look at a coyote or a wolf and compare it to a Chihuahua or a bulldog and try and imagine they all come from a common gene pool.

GM plants will mean the elimination of most herbicides and pesticides in the future. In the United States, farmers are now growing cotton plants that have a gene that kills the boll weevil the moment it contacts the plant. Glyphosate friendly wheat with powerful winter resistance could change the economy of northern areas considerably. We need to get educated, and eliminate negative thinking before it’s too late.